Linking environmentally-specific empowering leadership to hotel employees’ green creativity: understanding mechanisms and boundary conditions

Abstract
Purpose – Drawing on conservation of resources and social exchange theories, the authors build and test a
theoretical model examining the association of environmentally-specific empowering leadership (ESEL) with
green creativity as well as the mediating and moderating roles of green knowledge sharing behavior and green
psychological climate, respectively, in this association.
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected in three different waves from 265 employees working
in three-, four- and five-star hotels located in major cities in Pakistan. EFA, CFA and PROCESS macro were
utilized to validate the study’s research model and to examine the hypotheses.
Findings – The results indicated that ESEL is positively associated with green creativity, and green
knowledge sharing behavior is an effective underlying mechanism between the ESEL–green creativity
association. Furthermore, this study’s findings suggested that green psychological climate moderates the
direct and indirect associations such that the associations were stronger when green psychological climate was
more positive rather than less positive.
Practical implications – The study provides important lessons to managers and policymakers about the
benefits of ESEL to achieving green employee creativity within the hospitality sector and helps to contextualize
the importance and relevance of addressing global challenges in light of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).
Originality/value – The study is the first to explore the green adaptation of empowering leadership, its
effects, mechanisms and boundary conditions.
Keywords Environmentally-specific empowering leadership, Green creativity, Green knowledge sharing
behavior, Green psychological climate, Hospitality and tourism, Hotels
Paper type Research paper